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“Truth or dare?”
Souji winced internally at the sparkle in Rise’s eyes; if he picked truth, she’d ask prying questions - of course - but if he picked dare, well… it was no secret that the red-haired former idol - his junior in college - was attracted to Souji. Souji thought she was a wonderful woman, but returned zero percent of her romantic affections. If she asked something he didn’t want to answer, he could lie (Souji didn’t enjoy lying, of course, but sometimes it came down to self-preservation). Dare, however, risked his being put into a position he couldn’t get out of - and he couldn’t just take a penalty (hence the lying), because the penalties seemed to be worse than the original questions or dares. Chie had dared Kanji to lick a lightbulb, and he almost did it - Chie was really good at getting people riled up and Kanji was really good at getting riled up - and it was only by dint of Naoto’s exasperated ‘Kanji-kun don’t be stupid’ that he gave in and took the penalty. Chie, in turn, retaliated by making Kanji kiss Naoto, who turned beet-red and immediately went home.
No, thank you. He’d sooner lie. “Truth.”
While Rise’s face fell at this response, it was fairly clear that she’d expected it; within seconds her smirk was back as she tapped her lips with a perfectly-manicured fingernail.
“Well then, senpai. Of the people in this room, who have you had dreams about? And you can’t say ‘nobody’, because we won’t believe you.”
Souji paled at the question. “The people in this room” consisted of himself, Rise (a teen idol who had plans to go back into the business after college), Chie Satonaka, Yukiko Amagi, Kanji Tatsumi, and Souji’s roommate, Yosuke Hanamura. Kanji, Naoto, and Rise were freshmen; the others were sophomores. Souji hadn’t known any of them before college; he’d been assigned Yosuke as a roommate his freshman year, when they’d both been living in the dorms, and they’d hit it off, becoming best friends. Chie, Yukiko, and Kanji had all known each other from high school, and Rise and Naoto had somehow ended up as part of the group, as well. They all got along really well, which was why they were hanging out in Souji and Yosuke’s apartment on a Friday night, drinking and playing ridiculous games; Souji regretted now, however, that he’d ever agreed to Rise’s choice of Truth or Dare.
He didn’t even have time to think; the girls were all leaning forward, eagerly awaiting his answer. Kanji just looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there - his interest in the game having taken a nosedive since Naoto had left - and Souji didn’t dare look at Yosuke to see his reaction. Why?
Souji had been in love with Yosuke since the first day they’d met and he’d opened the door to a gorgeous, six-foot-tall music nut with caramel-dyed hair, an infectious smile, sparkling amber eyes, and a flirtatious wink that knocked Souji’s socks off every time he saw it. Of everybody in that room, the only person he’d had those kinds of dreams about was Yosuke, and there was no way he’d ever admit it; while Yosuke was by no means homophobic, he’d never come across as anything other than straight, and Souji wasn’t willing to risk the best friendship he’d ever had by making things awkward. Especially given that they lived together.
He had to say something, though - and as interested as Chie and Yukiko both seemed, he got the feeling that they were testing the dating pool with each other, and he didn’t want to make that weird. Kanji wasn’t an appealing choice, either - especially given his obvious interest in Naoto - and Yosuke was dead out. Which left Rise. It’d make her happy, at least.
Exhaling unhappily, he mumbled, “Rise;” there was silence for a moment, and the girls all gasped, looking at the excited red-head, who’d thrown her hands up with an exuberant “Yes!”
Shit. “Not- not like that, okay?” Souji tried to salvage the situation; Rise’s face fell, but movement in the corner of his eye caught Souji’s attention, and as he turned slightly he saw a look on Yosuke’s face that he couldn’t place - it looked sullen, like he was disappointed or jealous, but there was no way.
Unless he likes Rise.
It wouldn’t have surprised Souji; he’d seen the kind of girls Yosuke liked before, and they were usually bubbly girls with long hair, sass, and great bodies. Souji, who was six-foot-two, quiet, with neatly-trimmed silver hair, silver eyes, nothing but angles - and male - fit none of that description. Rise was cute, and while Yosuke had never said anything about liking her, it made a lot of recent quirks make sense - he’d been acting off recently when the whole group hung out, usually when the redhead was playing around with Souji.
Feeling queasy - something that was not helped by the several beers they'd all shared, although it wasn't like anyone was actually drunk - Souji found it hard to focus on the rest of the game; he forfeited his turn, and Rise was giving him looks, and Yosuke seemed out of it, too. Finally, they decided to kill the game, and the rest of the group headed out. Rise tried to stick it out, being the last one to leave, but Souji pretended he didn’t know why, and finally - pouting - she headed home, as well.
Yosuke had disappeared into his room as soon as the game ended; this left Souji to clean up the living room, but he preferred that to playing drinking games, anyhow. He was just fishing a solo cup out from under the sofa when he heard Yosuke’s bedroom door open.
“You didn’t walk Rise home?” The brunette’s voice held a note of bitterness, and Souji exhaled softly before pulling himself to his feet. I don’t want to have this conversation.
“No, why should I? She wasn’t drunk.” Souji busied himself stacking plastic cups.
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe the fact that she’s been giving you goggle eyes since she showed up, and you just admitted you like her, too, so-” Yosuke sounded angry, and Souji frowned.
“I said nothing of the sort, I said they weren’t those kinds of dreams.” Not wanting to get into an argument - it wasn’t like he'd asked Rise to have a crush on him - the silver-haired boy did his best to keep his voice level.
“Bullshit. I saw the look on your face - dude, we’ve been living together for almost two years. I know what you look like when you’re lying.”
Shit. Still, Souji couldn’t stop feeling angry at how unfair this was - he didn’t want Rise to like him, and now the person he was in love with was mad at him for it - and he clenched his fists.
“Yeah. It was a lie. You know why? Because I was too terrified to actually answer her question. You know who I dream about? You know who the only person in our group is that I dream about? Every night?”
Souji knew that he was making a mistake, he knew that this was going to be the breaking point in their relationship, but the thought of Yosuke and Rise together - and the sound of Yosuke’s anger - finally made something inside his heart snap. Yosuke, meanwhile, had frozen, and there was a look on his face that Souji couldn’t identify; the taller boy took advantage of this, knowing that soon enough Yosuke would be pulling away from him in embarrassment and discomfort.
“You know who it is? It’s not Chie or Yukiko, it’s not Rise, it’s not Naoto or Kanji.” A pause as Yosuke’s eyes started to widen. “It’s you.” Face red, Souji turned away. “I’m going to bed, I’ll clean the rest of this shit up in the mor-”
“Don’t!” When the silver-haired guy turned away, Yosuke finally moved, throwing himself forward to catch Souji’s wrist. His voice sounded choked, and this time Souji was the one to freeze. “Don’t go-”
Tilting his head, though not daring to turn around, Souji took a deep breath. “Yosuke?”
There was a moment’s silence before the words “Me, too” finally tumbled from the brunette’s lips; Souji felt his own eyes widen as he slowly turned, a stunned expression plastered across his face. Yosuke was standing before him, hand still on his wrist, face bright red. “Me… too.”
“I- you, about me?” Souji mentally cursed his tied tongue, but Yosuke understood what he meant, responding with a nod. “Are-” His voice cracking, Souji exhaled. Yosuke still hadn’t let go of his wrist, and Souji took advantage of that fact to step closer. He tried again. “Are you sure… they’re the same kinds of dreams?”
“I hope so.” Yosuke’s voice was lower, rougher than Souji had ever heard before, and it made the silver-haired boy shiver. Emboldened by the brunette’s response, Souji reached his other hand out towards him.
“I dream about things like this-” He brushed his fingertips, light as feathers, across Yosuke’s jaw, feeling the brunette’s pulse; Yosuke visibly shuddered, and Souji could feel the muscles in the brunette's throat work as he swallowed, thickly.
“Me too.” Yosuke’s voice was hoarse now; his pupils were dilated and he was watching every move Souji made.
Although he couldn’t actually believe this was happening, Souji found himself growing braver. “I dream about this-” Twisting his wrist, he turned Yosuke’s grip into a hand-hold as he leaned in, licking his lips, staring at the brunette’s mouth.
Barely allowing himself to blink, Yosuke exhaled. “Me, too,” he whispered, also leaning forward. Souji moved the hand that had been brushing the brunette’s jaw down to Yosuke’s shoulder, meeting him halfway as he tilted his head, slotting their mouths together. Yosuke snaked his free arm around Souji’s waist, pulling him in; Souji moaned softly as they bumped hips and then slid his hand up the brunette’s shoulder and around the back of his neck, playing gently with the soft hairs at his nape, deepening the kiss.
This lasted until they had to separate, both gasping for breath; watching Yosuke’s face, Souji suddenly found himself growing cold as he realized just what had happened, remembering everything he’d worried about ruining over the last two years. Face falling, he pulled back.
Yosuke frowned, tightening his hand again so that Souji couldn’t pull completely away. “Partner, what’s wrong?” His voice was still rough, but there was a note of concern in it that tore at Souji’s heart. He didn’t want to answer, but he had to - they were partners, best friends, and he couldn’t lie to Yosuke.
“I’m scared.” He put a hand over his face. “This is going to change everything, Yosuke, and that terrifies me. You mean so, so much to me, and I can’t lose that.”
“Souji.” Yosuke took Souji’s other hand, so that he was holding both of them; tugging Souji back towards him, he sat down on the couch and pulled the taller boy down beside him. “It’s normal to be scared, but don’t worry. Don’t be terrified. We’re already partners, and nothing is going to change that. Nothing could change that - if it could, we wouldn’t be partners. We’re best friends, and nothing is going to change that, either. The only thing between us that’s going to change is that there’s going to be more of this-” he held up their linked hands “-and this-” leaning forward, he kissed Souji’s lips; with a shaky sigh, Souji kissed him back, as if he couldn’t help it. “That’s okay, right?”
Studying Yosuke’s face - seeing the truth in his eyes, mixed with concern and, above all, affection - Souji inhaled, sharply, and nodded.
“Yeah. That’s… more than okay.” Leaning in, he caught Yosuke’s lips; with a muffled sigh, Yosuke returned the kiss as he wrapped his arms around Souji’s waist. The brunette barely noticed Souji pushing him backwards until he was laying on the couch underneath the silver-haired boy; as they broke apart for air, he chuckled, cupping Souji’s cheek.
“Eager much?”
Souji flushed but smiled - smirked - even as he slid his hands under the brunette’s shirt, resting his palms against the flat of Yosuke’s stomach. “I can’t help it, I’ve wanted - loved - you for years.”
At the word “love”, Yosuke’s eyes widened and he bit his lip, a little overwhelmed; Souji paused, praying he hadn’t said the wrong thing, but the brunette just responded by sliding his hands under Souji’s shirt and up his back. “I’ve loved you since we first moved in together, you know.”
With a shaky sigh of relief, Souji grabbed Yosuke’s shirt, tugging it over his head and tossing it aside as he leaned down to kiss along the brunette’s collarbone. “Me, too. The minute I saw you at the door, I knew I’d never be interested in anyone else again.”
Between soft, tickled moans, Yosuke - eyes closed as he ran his fingers through Souji’s hair - smiled. “Too bad we didn’t figure it out earlier.” He tugged at the taller guy's shirt; Souji sat up, pulling it over his head before tossing it over to join Yosuke’s.
“It’s okay; we’ve still got plenty of time.” He was straddling Yosuke's waist by this point, kneeling over him; he'd pinned Yosuke’s hands to the arm of the couch, above the brunette's head, but their fingers were intertwined and Yosuke’s thumbs were stroking small circles across his palms. Leaning forward, he started to suck on the brunette’s throat; Yosuke began to make the nicest sounds and Souji felt like he could do this forever.
Yosuke, however, had other ideas; as Souji sucked on a particularly sensitive spot - leaving a very visible mark that didn’t bother either of them in the slightest - the brunette groaned, grinding upwards. When he did, Souji froze - the silver-haired boy was harder than he’d ever been before, and he knew now that Yosuke was just as hard - and Yosuke smirked, bringing one of Souji’s hands down to his lips. Slowly, he began to suck on Souji’s index finger; shuddering, Souji groaned, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, his pupils were so wide that Yosuke could barely see the silver; Souji tightened his grip on Yosuke’s other hand, stumbling backwards to his feet as he hauled the brunette upright.
“Bedroom. Now.”
His voice was hoarse, his tone brooked no contradiction, and Yosuke smirked, letting Souji drag him into the next room.
Between the late night, the alcohol, and, well, everything else, it was approaching noon before they woke up, and that was only because the doorbell rang. Souji ran through the apartment, scrambling to find clothes, pulling them on before hurrying to the door; when he opened it, Rise was standing there, wearing a cute sundress and holding a picnic basket.
“Senpaiii~ I was wondering if you wanted to-”
She stopped when she actually saw Souji; he was wearing boxers, Yosuke’s shirt from the previous evening (which was still rolled up in the back as he’d yanked it off an armchair, barely having time to pull it on before running for the door), there were hickeys along the lower edge of his jaw and down his throat that disappeared beneath the shirt collar, and it was clear by the state of his hair that he’d just rolled out of bed. Rise was familiar enough with mornings-after to put two and two together.
“Rise?” He blinked at her, then realized what she was gaping at, turning bright red. “Oh, er-”
Just then, Yosuke - not even wearing a shirt, which made it impossible to miss all of Souji’s glorious handiwork trailing down his neck and along his collarbone - appeared beside the taller boy, rubbing his eyes. “Souji? Who is- oh shit, Rise.” He ducked behind Souji as Rise spluttered.
“Senpai, but you- and but- Yosuke?”
Souji turned even more red, but before he could say anything, she just sighed. “Oh, well. It’s not like I didn’t already know you had a thing for each other.” Shrugging, she shifted her hands on the basket handle. “I guess that just means I’ll go see if Naoto and Kanji have gotten over last night’s embarrassment yet!”
Both boys just blinked at her as she winked, turning away. “Just don’t do anything stupid and make each other sad, okay? Bye bye!”
She disappeared before either of them could respond - it was her coping mechanism, Souji knew - and slowly, the silver-haired boy closed the door. Turning to Yosuke, he gave a soft smile.
“That was good advice. I haven’t made you sad, have I?” It was the one thing that terrified him, the idea that Yosuke might regret the night before.
The brunette’s eyes widened, and he reached over, taking Souji’s hand. “Not unless you’re going to tell me this was a one-time thing.”
“One-time- of course not.” Souji looked surprised. “If I didn’t say it enough last night, I love you, Yosuke. Meeting you was the best thing that has ever happened to me.” He squeezed Yosuke’s hand; the brunette smiled.
“Then you’ll go out with me?”
“Mhm.” Humming appreciatively, Souji leaned over, putting his hands on Yosuke’s cheeks as he drew him in for a soft kiss that threatened to lead into a repeat of the night before, only to be broken as Yosuke’s stomach rumbled. Pulling back, the brunette flushed, and Souji laughed. “I think it’s time to make lunch for my boyfriend.”
Grinning - and still blushing - Yosuke put an arm around his waist. “Are you kidding? I’m gonna take my boyfriend out for lunch. Let’s go get a shower.”
A glint in his eye, Souji smirked. “A shower? Together? You realize we’re not going to leave the apartment that way.” A slow grin spread across Yosuke’s face, answering his boyfriend’s smirk.
In the end, they decided to order pizza.